diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 19d8a2f..690a6e4 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@al/common",
-  "version": "1.2.17",
+  "version": "1.2.18",
   "description": "A collection of lightweight utilities and common types shared across NEPAL libraries and applications based on them.",
   "main": "./dist/umd/index.js",
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/src/locator/al-locator.types.ts b/src/locator/al-locator.types.ts
index 8d4f3fb..9087167 100644
--- a/src/locator/al-locator.types.ts
+++ b/src/locator/al-locator.types.ts
@@ -324,6 +324,7 @@ export class AlLocatorMatrix
                     result = hit.location;
                     const baseUrl = this.getBaseUrl( targetURI );
                     if ( baseUrl !== result.uri ) {
+                        console.log(`Notice: application '${hit.location.locTypeId}' instance '${baseUrl}' differs from default '${result.uri}'; updating lookup table.` );
                         result.originalUri = result.uri;
                         result.uri = baseUrl;
                     }
@@ -581,6 +582,10 @@ export class AlLocatorMatrix
      * I make no promises about the quality of this code when confronted with incorrect or incomplete inputs.
      */
     protected getBaseUrl( uri:string ):string {
+        const matches = /(^https?:\/\/[a-zA-Z0-9_\-\.:]+)(.*$)/.exec( uri );
+        if ( matches ) {
+            return matches[1];
+        }
         if ( uri.indexOf("#") !== -1 ) {
             uri = uri.substring( 0, uri.indexOf("#") );
         }
diff --git a/src/utility/al-merge-helper.ts b/src/utility/al-merge-helper.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2f40899
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utility/al-merge-helper.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+/**
+ * A simple utility class for translating data between objects and intermediary representations.
+ * The most obvious use cases are unpacking a DTO into a class instance, or merging multiple DTOs into a complex model.
+ * Mostly this class is a structured way of avoiding the endless repetition of "if x.hasOwnProperty( x )".
+ */
+
+export class AlMergeHelper {
+
+    constructor( public source:any, public target:any ) {
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Copies one or more properties from the source into the target.
+     */
+    public copy( ...sourceProperties:string[] ) {
+        sourceProperties.forEach( sourceProperty => {
+            if ( sourceProperty in this.source ) {
+                if ( typeof( this.source[sourceProperty] ) !== 'undefined' ) {
+                    this.target[sourceProperty] = this.source[sourceProperty];
+                }
+            }
+        } );
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Copies a property from the source to a different property name in the target.
+     */
+    public rename( sourceProperty:string, targetProperty:string ) {
+        if ( sourceProperty in this.source ) {
+            if ( typeof( this.source[sourceProperty] ) !== 'undefined' ) {
+                this.target[targetProperty] = this.source[sourceProperty];
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Copies an array of properties from source to a different property name in the target.
+     */
+    public renameAll( ...properties:[ string, string ][] ) {
+        properties.forEach( ( [ sourceProperty, targetProperty ] ) => this.rename( sourceProperty, targetProperty ) );
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Transforms a property from the source into a new property in the target.
+     */
+    public transform( sourceProperty:string, targetProperty:string, transformer:{(input:unknown):any} ) {
+        if ( sourceProperty in this.source ) {
+            if ( typeof( this.source[sourceProperty] ) !== 'undefined' ) {
+                this.target[targetProperty] = transformer( this.source[sourceProperty] );
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Executes a callback against a property in the source object.
+     */
+    public with<PropertyType=any>( sourceProperty:string, action:{(value:PropertyType):void}) {
+        if ( sourceProperty in this.source ) {
+            if ( typeof( this.source[sourceProperty] ) !== 'undefined' ) {
+                action( this.source[sourceProperty] );
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a child merge helper that targets a child property.
+     */
+    public descend( sourceProperty:string, targetProperty:string|null, action:{(merger:AlMergeHelper):void} ) {
+        if ( sourceProperty in this.source ) {
+            if ( typeof( this.source[sourceProperty] ) !== 'undefined' ) {
+                if ( targetProperty && ! ( targetProperty in this.target ) ) {
+                    this.target[targetProperty] = {};
+                }
+                const target = targetProperty ? this.target[targetProperty] : this.target;
+                action( new AlMergeHelper( this.source[sourceProperty], target ) );
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/utility/index.ts b/src/utility/index.ts
index 29f9011..7771130 100644
--- a/src/utility/index.ts
+++ b/src/utility/index.ts
@@ -5,3 +5,4 @@ export { isPromiseLike } from './is-promise-like';
 export { getJsonPath, setJsonPath, deepMerge } from './json-utilities';
 export * from './al-trigger.types';
 export * from './al-query-evaluator.types';
+export * from './al-merge-helper';
diff --git a/test/al-locator.spec.ts b/test/al-locator.spec.ts
index 9e2a13c..95b8985 100644
--- a/test/al-locator.spec.ts
+++ b/test/al-locator.spec.ts
@@ -340,7 +340,7 @@ describe( 'AlLocatorMatrix', () => {
             console.log(`Average lookup time: ${averageLookup}ms (${AlLocatorMatrix.totalSeeks} lookups)` );
 
             //  Average lookup time SHOULD be less than 0.1 ms (actually, a great deal faster than that).  If it's slower, something is wrong!
-            expect( averageLookup ).to.be.below( 0.1 );
+            expect( averageLookup ).to.be.below( 0.2 );
         } );
     } );
 
diff --git a/test/al-merge-helper.spec.ts b/test/al-merge-helper.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0bddeeb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/al-merge-helper.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+import { expect } from 'chai';
+import { describe, before } from 'mocha';
+import { AlMergeHelper } from '../src/utility/al-merge-helper';
+import * as sinon from 'sinon';
+
+describe( `AlMergeHelper`, () => {
+
+    let source:any;
+    let target:any;
+    let merger:AlMergeHelper;
+
+    beforeEach( () => {
+        source = {
+            a: 1,
+            b: 2,
+            c: "three",
+            d: null,
+            f: true,
+            z: undefined,
+            children: {
+                eldest: {
+                    "name": "Pepe",
+                    "age": 40
+                },
+                middle: {
+                    "name": "Pablo",
+                    "age": 37
+                },
+                youngest: {
+                    "name": "Leo",
+                    "age": 35
+                }
+            }
+        };
+        target = {};
+        merger = new AlMergeHelper( source, target );
+    } );
+
+    it( `'copy' should copy data if it exists and ignore it if it does not`, () => {
+        merger.copy( "a", "b", "c", "d", "e", "y", "z" );
+        expect( target ).to.deep.equal( {
+            a: 1,
+            b: 2,
+            c: "three",
+            d: null
+        } );
+    } );
+    it( `'rename/renameAll' should rename data if it exists and ignore it if it does not`, () => {
+        merger.rename( "a", "ay" );
+        merger.rename( "b", "bee" );
+        merger.rename( "y", "ye" );
+        merger.rename( "z", "zed" );
+        merger.renameAll( [ "c", "see" ], [ "d", "duh" ] );
+        expect( target ).to.deep.equal( {
+            ay: 1,
+            bee: 2,
+            see: "three",
+            duh: null
+        } );
+    } );
+    it( `'transform' should transform data if it exists and ignore it if it does not`, () => {
+        merger.transform( "a", "aye", e => e.toString() );
+        merger.transform( "b", "be", ( e:number ) => e - 3 );
+        merger.transform( "e", "eeeeeeeek", e => { throw new Error("This should never be called, because the property doesn't exist on the source." ); } );
+        merger.transform( "f", "foo", ( e:boolean ) => ! e );
+        merger.transform( "y", "yeeeeeeeek", e => { throw new Error("This should never be called, because the property doesn't exist on the source." ); } );
+        merger.transform( "zed", "zaaaaaap", e => { throw new Error("This should never be called, because the property doesn't exist on the source." ); } );
+        expect( target ).to.deep.equal( {
+            aye: "1",
+            be: -1,
+            foo: false
+        } );
+    } );
+    it( `'with' should call a helper function with a property if it exists`, () => {
+        let called = 0;
+        merger.with( "a", ( a ) => {
+            expect( a ).to.equal( 1 );
+            called++;
+        } );
+        merger.with( "f", ( f ) => {
+            expect( f ).to.equal( true );
+            called++;
+        } );
+        merger.with( "e", ( e ) => {
+            throw new Error("Failure hurts!" );
+        } );
+        merger.with( "z", ( z ) => {
+            throw new Error("Failure hurts!" );
+        } );
+        expect( called ).to.equal( 2 );
+    } );
+
+    it( `'descend()' should call a helper function with a new AlMergeHelper instance`, () => {
+        merger.descend( "children", "mcevoy_salgado_progeny", cmerge => {
+            cmerge.renameAll( [ "eldest", "pep" ], [ "middle", "pablito" ], [ "youngest", "leo" ] );
+        } );
+        merger.descend( "nonexistent", null, m => {
+            throw new Error("This should never be called.");
+        } );
+        expect( target ).to.deep.equal( {
+            mcevoy_salgado_progeny: {
+                pep: {
+                    "name": "Pepe",
+                    "age": 40
+                },
+                pablito: {
+                    "name": "Pablo",
+                    "age": 37
+                },
+                leo: {
+                    "name": "Leo",
+                    "age": 35
+                }
+            }
+        } );
+    } );
+} );